Better With Two
by bluezinthos
Summary: After a near death experience, the Doctor makes a vow to Rose (and Jackie)


A giant jelly slug. Of all the ways that Rose Tyler imagined she might die, she NEVER thought the belly of a giant purple slug made of jelly would be the way she would meet her end. Oh, she figured it would be on an alien planet, what with traveling with a manic Time Lord whose favorite phrase was "Of course it's safe, Rose! Why wouldn't it be safe? I speak fluent 'insert alien language here' followed by massively insulting said alien race.

At least it wasn't his fault this time. They'd landed in the early 24th century when a colony of human settlers set up an outpost on a planet just beyond Pluto. It didn't have a name yet, just one of those boring number series, Delta24601-Gamma2 or something. They were on their second farming cycle and attempting to speed up the process. She and the Doctor had landed right in the middle of chaos.

When they'd exited the TARDIS (in a storage cupboard no less) there was a ripe smell of decaying plant matter and soil in the air. Underneath that was something else, something, almost tangy that Rose couldn't quite place. They'd followed the sounds of commotion to central control room with a multitude of computer screens tuned to what appeared to be greenhouses.

"How did you two get here? Who are you? We aren't up for review yet!" A young redheaded man called from a bank of computers directly across from the doors.

Flipping open the psychic paper with one hand, the Doctor pulled on his glasses with the other.

"Research and Development." What's going on here?" He looked at the rapidly flickering views on the monitors. They looked like they were spinning from greenhouse to hall to bunk to greenhouse and round again.

"Who's she? Doesn't look like management to me." A willowy black woman asked. Rose turned to see her at a series of microscopes in the rear of the room.

"Development," the Doctor replied, without missing a beat. "Can't work without her." He made his way to the microscopes in the back while Rose headed to the computers. She would be useless with the biology bit, but the computers she could handle.

"And you are?" the Doctor asked, holding a slide with a bit of purple smudged on it up to the light.

"Chief Science Office Rutledge. That's Tech Officer Todd. There were 26 of us on base."

Rose lifted her head. "Were? What happened?"

"I think there are 10 of us left. This is our second cycle on base. We were sent to collect soil samples after the atmospheric converters finished their work. Run of the mill tests. See how fast crops grew, what, if any, native insects, flora, or fauna would survive the terraforming process and how it would affect them. There was almost no insect life on this planet, perfect for introducing our own species. But the plants were taking too long to grow. Well over a standard Earth season. So we began to introduce growth accelerants."

The Doctor casually moved Rutledge away from the microscope to look for himself.

"What types of accelerants?"

Rutledge looked embarrassed. "Well, at first we tried the standard ones but the soil was too different. So, I worked on different ones. This one worked on organic matter."

The Doctor's head snapped up. "Organic matter? As in all forms of organic matter? Rose, what's on those screens?"

" 'S weird. You'd think the plants would be really overgrown, yeah? I can see where they broke through their pots and whatnot, but they look all chewed up." She squinted closer. "Looks like the doors are bent open, too. And there's some sort of stain on the walls and floors…" She looked at Todd and then the Doctor. "'S it blood?"

"Noooo, at least I don't think so. See if you can scan for signs of life."

Todd practically pouted. "I already did. Nine human vital signs up in the cafeteria on platform four. Nothing else."

Rose glared at him. "Well then scan for something non-human. This is an alien planet isn't it?"

"With minimal fauna. We screened."

The Doctor snorted. "Not very well." The held up the purple coated slide. "This is Mullusca Onchidiacea mucus." At their lack of enthusiasm he clarified. "Slug slime. And from the amounts on those monitors you have a carnivorous species of slug that got doused with growth hormone designed to work on all types of organic matter."

Rutledge shook her head. "But nothing like that showed up on the initial scans. Slugs would be considered an invasive species."

"Did you bother to scan below ground? Lots of things lie dormant underground for years before conditions are right for them to hatch. You might end up with a plague of alien locusts on your hands for all you know." The Doctor muttered.

"Okay," Rose turned from attempting to switch the camera angles, "So what do we need to do to stop these mutant slugs? Do you know how many there are? Have you been able to contact the rest of the crew?"

The Doctor shot her a grin. "That's my girl. Always with the right questions. So, now do you have the right answers?" He looked expectantly at Todd and Rutledge.

After a quick glance at each other, they shook their heads. "No, I didn't think to see if the comm system was still up and running." Todd admitted. "I was busy trying to see what was attacking everyone. Never did get a good look."

"Well, try the comms, now."

Clapping his hands, the Doctor turned to Rutledge. "I'm assuming you have a fully stocked laboratory around here somewhere? As well as full climate control?"

She nodded. "Climate is controlled here. The main lab is two halls over." She pointed at a monitor showing a bent in door. "Right there, actually."

"Hmmm, shame that is, but hopefully still intact." Spinning, he looked at Rose.

"Rose, can you get the temperature lowered to 0 Celsius? I don't know the exact size of these things but that should slow them down if not stop them completely. Todd, do we have communication?"

He grunted. "One more…got it! This is Tech Officer Todd can anyone hear me? Repeat can anyone hear me?"

Static crackled, then a tinny voice echoed through the room. "Todd, it's Angelica! It got Fritz! It's huge, we don't know - "

The Doctor cut her off. "Angelica. My name is the Doctor. I'm going to get the rest of you out of there. Now, do you have supplies in there? Any desiccants? "

"Like salt?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Ummm, yeah. Ionized, canning, a few bags in the pantry."

"Good. Open the door and spread as much of it in the hallway as you can. If there's another entrance into the cafeteria you need to put it there, too. It may be a carnivorous space slug but it's still a slug."

He moved over to Rose's side. "How're you doing?"

She smiled. "Got it in one. Temperature's falling steady. Todd here is trying to get a picture of the space slugs."

"Yeah, got it…"

Rose and the Doctor looked over to see a long, thick creature sliding its way down a hall, its tentacles brushing the ceiling every so often, then retracting.

"Are those…are those teeth?"

"Yep. And like sharks, they regrow them. Is it near the science lab?"

Todd shook his head. "It's headed this way but from the opposite direction."

And that's how she found herself staring down a purple jelly slug twice the height of a man. It was squishy and translucent and she could see its brain and heart through the outside. She'd managed to find a fire extinguisher or at least the 24th century equivalent of one, but she had no idea how to use it.

"How does this thing work?" Rose called out, trying to keep out of the path of the purple slime.

Todd was hiding under one of the server panels and refusing to come out.

"What does it matter, we're going to die anyway!" He screamed.

"Fat lot of good you are." Rose huffed, shifting a bit when it lunged. The thing's teeth were as large as her hand and it looked like it could easily swallow her whole considering it didn't even have bones. She managed to break off a few of the front ones before she got stuck in the slime trail.

"Ugh. This is disgusting." More concerning was the fact that she couldn't move. The slime held her fast, like cement. The slug, she swore it grinned as it began to creep forward. She looked around frantically for anything else she could use as a weapon but there was nothing in reach. The Doctor wasn't back yet. She'd come close to getting eaten by something or other more than once but the Doctor was always there, right beside her, with his version of a plan. Now it looked like she was really going to die. Her last act before the slug stretched its head forward was to scream for the Doctor.

"Eureka! I always wanted to say that!" The Doctor held up a clear phial.

Rutledge didn't look particularly impressed. "That's it? That's going to bring down a bus sized carnivorous space slug?"

Frowning, the Doctor squinted over his specs. "Industrial strength desiccant. Hit the slug with phial, then poof, shrunken slug. I made enough for four, though signs are there is only the one. We'll bring down the one outside the command room and then go to the cafeteria…"

"DOCTOR!"

"Rose!" He tossed two capped phials to Rutledge and ran out the door.

When he hit the command room it was in time to see a trainer on the floor and Rose's feet and lower legs dangling from the slug's mouth. Rutledge readied to throw one of the phials but the Doctor stayed her hand.

"No, not with Rose inside." He spied the fire extinguisher on the ground and lunged for it.

"Doctor, she's probably dead. We have nine other people to save - "

"No," he growled, "she's not."

Pressing the panel on the side of the extinguisher, the Doctor let loose a spray of chemicals at the slug. It gurgled and curled in on itself a bit before splaying out on the ground. Tossing the extinguisher to the side, the Doctor grabbed Rose's legs and pulled, his unnatural strength helping to free her from the creature with a slurp. Turning her onto her back, he quickly cleared her airway, pulling long strings of mucus from her throat before beginning CPR. He once said he didn't believe in the Devil, he only believed in her and he kept repeating that mantra in his head as he willed her heart to beat. It was the most painful 93.275 seconds of his lives before she took a stuttering breath.

He saw that Rutledge had poured the contents of one of the phials onto the slug and it was already shrinking. She nodded at him.

"Thank you. Go, we'll signal for a relief vessel and check for any more slugs. Shut down until we clear out this batch of crops."

Scooping up Rose, he rushed back to the TARDIS. His brilliant ship opened the doors for him herself and when he paused by the console to hit the lever to send them into the vortex, she did it without a protest. Once in the med bay, the TARDIS already began laying out supplies for Rose. Shrugging out of his overcoat and suit jacket, the pieces coated in the worst of the slime, he lay Rose on the table and placed an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. A subtle tremor ran through her and her skin felt even cooler than his.

Muttering to himself, he began the process of removing Rose's slime coated clothing. Everything was saturated and molded to her body worse than if it was just wet. He finally gave up on her jeans and resigned himself to cutting them to get them off. Her bra and knickers were ruined as well and he hoped they weren't a favorite pair as he snipped them with the scissors as well. Rubbing her arms and legs briskly with a towel, he attempted to bring back the circulation before covering her with a silvery thermal blanket. There were long scratches covering her arms, legs, and torso, most likely from the slug's broken teeth, but they looked shallow enough to wait for the moment and until her treated her shock, they weren't bleeding much.

The Doctor moved to run a hand through his hair out of habit and cursed when it hit a glob of slime. Flinging the offending mass into the sink and scrubbing at his hands with hot water, he ignored the ship's offended hum and moved to collect a bag of fluids and an injection of norepinephrine. IV managed and an ampule of nebulizer solution added to the oxygen to help clear out Rose's lungs, the Doctor decided that he should go and clean himself up before me moved to the next step. He entered the shower room off the med bay and found a clean suit and trainers already laid out for him and the shower running.

"Thanks, Old Girl." He patted the wall, fondly, stripped, and stepped into the hot spray. His thoughts were muddled now that he didn't have Rose to concentrate on. They had some close calls in the past, but none like this. Rose had a few broken bones, some injuries that required the dermal regenerator, but nothing like this. She'd never told her Mum any of the truly dangerous things that happened while they were traveling, but this time he wouldn't gloss over it. He had to take her home. Not to drop her off, no he couldn't, wouldn't do that but they needed to face Jackie together on this. And he wouldn't leave Rose.

Decision made, he dried and dressed quickly and moved to check on Rose once more. Satisfied that her body temperature was stable, he removed the thermal blanket and kept his eyes to himself as much as possible while he retrieved both the dermal regenerator and some warm blankets. Addressing the cuts was a simple matter; the location of the injuries was another story. They ranged from the tops of both thighs, to low on her torso, to both arms; some areas the Doctor tried desperately not to look at if Rose was wearing something that happened to be revealing those particular body parts. Calling himself every form of dirty old man, he finished treating her injuries and switched out the oxygen mask for a cannula. Rose stirred a bit and he watched with hope as her eyelids fluttered.

"Doctor?" It came out in a raspy whisper.

He brushed her hair away from her face. "I'm right here Rose. You're going to be just fine. You're in the med bay and we're going to see Jackie.

Panic flashed across her face and the heart monitor raced. "Mum?"

"Hey, now. Just to visit. She needs to know about this, we can't hide it. I'll be with you."

"You'll stay?"

Brushing a kiss to her forehead, he nodded. "I promise. Rest, Jackie will be here in a few minutes."

He headed out to the console room and set the coordinates for the Estate. Much as Jackie Tyler complained about his landing the TARDIS in her parlor, he had the feeling that this time she would appreciate it. And as much as he hated the idea of Jackie setting foot on his TARDIS, there was no way that he was going to be moving Rose anywhere else. She was staying where she belonged.

As soon as the TARDIS touched ground, the banging started.

"You daft alien! How many times have I told you not to land this bleedin' box of yours in my parlor! Almost took out my coffee table again! Well, are you comin' out or not?"

Drawing a deep breath and hoping for strength, the Doctor pulled open the door and came face to face with Jackie Tyler in all her powder blue track suited glory.

"Where's my daughter?"

"Jackie, I need you to come inside."

Her blue eyes narrowed. "I told ya before I ain't settin' foot inside that spaceship, now where's Rose."

"Jackie, please."

Maybe it was the please or maybe it was the haggard look on his face, he'd never know, but Jackie followed him into the TARDIS without another word. His wonderful, marvelous, genius ship (who he would bribe with anything she could possibly want) moved the med bay to the first corridor and dimmed the lights. She'd raised the head of Rose's bed and placed a tray of tea and water on a bedside table and a set of comfy chairs on either side of the bed. She'd also cleaned up all the medical mess the Doctor'd left behind. He sent up a huge mental thank you and the ship gave a smug hum in reply.

"Rose!" Jackie darted forward, pushing past the Doctor. "Oh, sweetheart, what did that idiot do to you?"

Rose opened her eyes and smiled at her Mum but held out her hand to the Doctor. Careful to move to the other side of the bed, well out of slapping distance, he grabbed her hand.

"The Doctor didn't do anything - "

"Obviously."

"Mum. If we weren't working apart we wouldn't have saved everyone. Bad things happen sometimes. To both of us." She coughed and the Doctor handed her the cup of water with the bendy straw. Jackie watched with narrowed eyes as he helped her daughter drink.

"Exactly how many times have 'bad things happened' that you've not told me about?"

"Mum…"

"I mean it, Rose Marion Tyler. And you, Doctor, you promised to keep her safe. Is this your idea of safe? My baby girly laying in a hospital bed on a spaceship?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, the Doctor didn't reply. He couldn't think of a good one. He didn't always keep Rose safe. This life wasn't safe. He wasn't safe.

Rose watched him and almost like she was reading his mind she reached out and grabbed his hand again.

"Stop it." She said to him. "And you stop, too." She turned to Jackie. "Mum, this life isn't safe. It's beautiful and terrifying, maddening and exciting, wonderful and wrong, and I wouldn't, couldn't trade it for anything. I can't stay here anymore. I can't stand still and pretend that I don't feel the Earth spinning beneath my feet. That I don't look around and wonder if the little man in the coffee shop isn't just visiting London but visiting Earth. As long as I'm with the Doctor I have a chance."

He was looking at her with such a look of longing, of affection, that Jackie forgot for a moment what she wanted to say. Clearing her throat, she brought his attention back to her.

"What can you promise me then, Doctor? You can't promise me that you'll keep my Rose safe, so what can you promise me."

Still holding her hand and looking into her eyes, he gave his vow; "I can promise you that as long as there is breath in this body that I will protect Rose. That if we don't come back, it is because both of us are gone. That I will never leave her behind or send her away for her own good. Today was too close a call for me and I realized that it's better with two."

Rose smiled as the Doctor wiped a stray tear off her cheek.

Jackie sat back and grabbed a cup of tea off the tray and watched the two. It looked like she was going to have to resign herself to having an alien as a son-in-law. If aliens even did that sort of thing. She snorted. Well this alien would be marrying her daughter. She wouldn't stand for that sort of nonsense going on, not while she was around.


End file.
